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July 31, 2013

diy gold seashells



Someone please take the gold spray paint from me before everything is gold :)   You might remember when I changed up our front entry table to create a summer vignette.  I added the driftwood we found at the beach, the rattan lantern and palm leaves.  I love that it is a simple reminder of my favorite place.  Recently, I added this big, white bowl of shells.  After swooning over some gorgeous pictures of gold seashells recently, my wheels began turning and I decided that my seashells needed a little something. 

 
Quickest, Easiest, Cheapest DIY ever!!  No taping, no measuring, just spray and go!


 
So happy with the new look!
 
You might also like...diy gold vases.
 
 
 Hope you have a terrific day!
 
P.S.  Don't forget to enter the Happy Everything Cookbook giveaway.  Go here to enter.
 
 {sharing here:  remodelaholic}

July 29, 2013

Entertaining with Coton Colors & a Giveaway

 
 
Happy Monday!  Raise your hand if you love a great party surrounded by beautiful décor and scrumptious food!  I sure do!  (if you raised your hand behind your computer screen here's a smiling face just for you :)  Today I'm so excited to share an amazing product line with you called Coton Colors that is sure to add style to your next entertaining event!  It is a must have collection of handcrafted pottery, entertaining tools, decor and gifts inspired by the celebrations of life. 
 
The two products I wanted to share are the fun, cheerful Happy Everything Entertaining and Serving Platters and the amazing Happy Everything Cookbook.  I am so smitten by this collection.  Not only do I love the positive "Happy Everything" message, but adore the dot pattern and color choices on the platters.  With this collection you can choose from either the big or mini platter in either bright or neutral color.  And then my favorite part is the 80+ interchangeable happy everything attachments that are uniquely designed to celebrate the happiness in every occasion and celebration!  This collection is so versatile and below I'll show you two different occasions that I used the mini platter to bring a happy, cheerfulness to my own get-togethers!
 
 

For this casual, summer nautical happy hour, I used the mini platter and mini party hat attachment to display on my buffet with my plates, napkins and drinks.  I love that the bright dot pattern can be paired with almost any party color or theme.  Here casual, nautical details paired with this fun platter created a perfect drink display for a mid-summer happy hour.

 
 
We spend a lot of time on our back patio.  And sometimes, it's just with a friend or another family hanging out watching the kids play.  Even with such a simple laid back get-together, I like to have some fun, pretty décor to display and this mini platter hits the mark!  Here I used my mini platter with this adorable watermelon attachment to add some cheerfulness to this summer drink tray!  It's bright and fun and the what better to symbolize summer than a juicy watermelon.


Wrapping up this collection is this amazing cookbook!  The Happy Everything Cookbook is not only filled with tasty recipes, but it also displays gorgeous pictures, creative entertaining and styling inspiration, and a peak into Coton Colors Founder and Owner, Laura, and her dear friend, Susan's own family traditions.  Their families are beautiful and their events are filled with precious memories. 

 
I had the best time browsing through this cookbook and I already have many favorite recipes I can't wait to try!
 
And now the fun part for you - Coton Colors is offering one lucky reader a Happy Everything Cookbook.
 
Giveaway
Just use the rafflecopter form below to enter.
Winner will be announced on Monday August 5, 2013.
 
Good Luck!

July 24, 2013

cheddar cornbread

 

Hello friends!  Does anyone else love bread as much as I do?  I was walking through Whole Foods over the weekend and spotted fresh baked cornbread, which reminded me of this cheddar cornbread recipe I've been wanting to try.  I made it last night and
it.was.delicious!!

It turned into the only thing I ate for supper, since I ate half of it and was too full to eat anything else.

 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
  •  2 cups extra sharp Cheddar, grated, reserve 1/4 cup for top
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, about 3
  • optional:  jalapenos - 3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers (I left them out  this time for my kiddos)
 
Method
  1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter.
  3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't over mix!
  4. Mix in about 2 cups of the grated Cheddar (reserving 1/4 cup for top), and the green onions and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.  (Also add in jalapenos here.)
  5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2 inch baking pan.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped green onions.
  7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
* recipe adapted from food network
 
 
Hope you enjoy!
 

July 22, 2013

bright touches in the kitchen


Hope you all had a great weekend!  We stayed home this weekend and did a few things around the house  A little shopping, fishing and church were the highlights.  And in between those activities, I added some bright colors to the kitchen.

 
I put this rug back in the kitchen.  I originally bought it for the kitchen, then it moved around the house in various spots, but now it's back and I really like it against the white cabinets.  I think this is where it needs to be...for now ;)
 

And while we were out and about, I picked up this yellow chevron bowl at World Market.  Not sure where it would land, I knew I would find a spot!  I decided it needed to be by the kitchen sink to hold my jewelry when I'm washing dishes or cooking.
 
 
And my final purchase this weekend were this gorgeous orange flowers.  As much as I love yellow, I'm finding myself drawn to everything orange lately!  Sometimes these little finds and changes make such a difference!  They definitely have brought some bright, cheerfulness to this space!

And just for fun, here is a quick before picture of our very dark kitchen.  You can read more about painting our kitchen cabinets here.


And a painting in progress picture:

 
Yay for white paint and bright accents!!

Next on the agenda - backsplash and lighting!
 
Have a wonderful Day!
 
home tour

for a full post and more pictures of these spaces, visit my PROJECTS tab



July 19, 2013

diy gold vases

 

Happy Friday Friends!  I am on a roll with diy projects this week :)  I have been so smitten by all the "golding" happening lately, that I finally decided I needed to add some gold glam to my home.  Admiring the work of Courtney and Cassie with their amazing diy gold vases, I followed their lead and gave a few of my inexpensive vases some bling.


This was a really simple project that went something like this:
  1. Supplies - vases, tape, and gold metallic spray paint.
  2. Tape off your vases with your desired pattern.  Press the tape firmly around the edges.
  3. Once your vase is taped, start spraying.  It only took one coat of paint and then I peeled the tape immediately to create nice, clean lines.
And that's it.  Clip you some of your favorite flowers and enjoy!



My crepe myrtle tree is so full of blooms right now that the branches are completing bent over, so I clipped a few blooms.  So happy to have a punch of pink blooms to enjoy in my new gold vases.


 
 
 


July 15, 2013

diy inspiration board

 
 
Continuing to work on our home office makeover, I finally found an inexpensive solution for the big, blank wall above the back desk...a simple inspiration board.  I already had this large bulletin board sitting in my closet, but it was a bit too boring, so I decided to dress it up a bit with a fun chevron pattern.

  1. Supplies - a plain cork board, ruler or tape measure, tape, pencil, speed square and paint.
  2. I placed the speed square in the middle of the bottom of the board to start creating my first chevron and moved out from there.  I cut straight edges on my tape to create the peaks and then cut the tape near the frame with the straight edge of my scissor to create a neat pattern.  As far as the size of my lines, I had one inch tape, so I made the width between the next chevron one inch as well keeping everything an equal distance.
  3. Continue taping the chevron pattern to your desired height across the board.
I also wanted the frame to be white, so I covered the remaining cork parts and then began painting.  I used white spray paint and pulled the tape immediately after painting to create nice, clean lines.
 


I'm so happy with how it turned out.  It fills the wall, it's functional for this space, and it fit into my budget :)
 
You can check out my PROJECT tab for more easy diy and home projects.
 

and you can also find my here:
instagram // facebook // pinterest // bloglovin


Enjoy you day!

diy inspiration board


IMG_1159.JPG
Continuing to work on our home office makeover, I finally found an inexpensive solution for the big, blank wall above the back desk...a simple inspiration board.  I already had this large bulletin board sitting in my closet, but it was a bit too boring, so I decided to dress it up a bit with a fun chevron pattern.

  1. Supplies - a bulletin board, ruler or tape measure, tape, pencil, speed square and paint.
  2. I placed the speed square in the middle of the bottom of the board to start creating my first chevron and moved out from there.  I cut straight edges on my tape to create the peaks and then cut the tape near the frame with the straight edge of my scissor to create a neat pattern.  As far as the size of my lines, I had one inch tape, so I made the width between the next chevron one inch as well keeping everything an equal distance.
  3. Continue taping the chevron pattern to your desired height across the board.
I also wanted the frame to be white, so I covered the remaining cork parts and then began painting.  I used white spray paint and pulled the tape immediately after painting to create nice, clean lines.
 

 
I'm so happy with how it turned out.  It fills the wall, it's functional for this space, and it fit into my budget :) 
 
You can check out my PROJECT CATEGORY for more easy diy and home projects.
 

and you can also find my here:
 instagram // facebook // pinterest // bloglovin


Enjoy you day!


linking up with East Coast Creative for Creating With The Stars